View full sizeAlabama football commit O.J. Howard of Autauga Academy in Pratville,AL during the 2012 Nike Football SPARQ Combine tour as it stops in Mobile on Sunday March 4, 2012. (Press-Register, Kate Mercer)

At 1 a.m. Sunday morning, O.J. Howard was leaving a baseball park in Prattville. By 2 p.m. that same day, he found out he'll be leaving for somewhere more exciting this summer.

Howard, an Alabama commitment who is one of the top college football prospects in the state for 2013, posted a event-best score of 104.22 at the Nike SPARQ combine at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium on Sunday. The score earned him a trip to "The Opening," Nike's invitation-only event in Oregon in July.

"I came into today and my goal was a 105. I got a 104.22 so I'm not too mad about it," said Howard, a 6-foot-5, 224-pound tight end from AutaugaAcademy who also plays outfield for the school's baseball team. "I'm very satisfied with this."

Howard was one of 1,333 high school athletes who participated in Sunday's combine, which measured them in four drills: the 40-yard dash, vertical leap, shuttle run and kneeling powerball toss. Each athlete's results in these four drills were combined to produce his Nike SPARQ rating.

Howard, ranked by Rivals.com as the top prospect in Alabama for 2013, was the only athlete at Sunday's combine to post a rating over 100. It included a 4.63 40-yard dash run into a headwind, more than a tenth of a second faster than the time he ran at another combine event in January. He also posted a 33.2-inch vertical leap, a 4.44-second shuttle and a 38.5-foot powerball toss.

Howard, who went to Auburn's junior day last week, described his commitment to Alabama as "really solid," but added that he plans to take all his visits.

A pair of Florida cornerback prospects, Pensacola Catholic's David Akintonde and Fort Walton Beach's John Marvin, were the only other athletes to post scores better than 95 at 98.64 and 96.72, respectively.

Nike Combine 2012High school recruits for the 2013 and 2014 classes speak to Press-Register reporter Mike Herndon at the 2012 Nike Combine March 4, 2012, at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

For athletes like Howard and two top 2014 prospects, St. Paul's linebacker Tre Williams and New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr defensive end Gerald Willis, the combine was an opportunity to validate the interest they're already receiving from colleges.

"My 40 could have been better," said Williams (6-1, 217), who posted a 4.7 and had an overall score of 65.28. "I've really never worked on the shuttle run, so I'm going to start working on it now that I know."

Williams already has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Kentucky.

For other prospects like Atlanta (Ga.) Mays receiver DeAngelo Yancey, who is getting interest from several ACC schools but has no offers as of yet, it was an opportunity to get noticed.

"I surprised myself," said Yancey, who posted a 91.95 overall score with a 39.5-foot powerball throw that was among the best of the day. "I think it'll get me noticed a lot. A lot of coaches might come to the school and check on me."

In addition to providing raw data, combine staffers like Chris Gizzi offered tips to athletes on how to improve their times and scores, as well as their overall fitness. "If they can be fit and develop healthy habits as a football player, now we're winning," Gizzi said.

"It showed me where I was, so I can get better for the season," said Bell (6-4, 295), who said he's been offered by Auburn. "I want to improve everything, but last year all these (scores) were extraordinarily low. It took hard work and dedication to get them where I got them."